The Gay Polo League is a worldwide organization of

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

polo Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...

players with members in 15 countries.

History

It was founded in 2006 by polo player Chip McKenney.Gay Polo League Tournament Moves To International Polo Club Palm Beach
, ''Hurlingham Media'', 26 September 2014Deborah Deutsch
Chip McKenney, Founder of the Gay Polo League, On How the League Was Born
, ''Equestrian Quarterly'', November 14, 2013Nadia Sorocka
Gay Polo Tournament returns with high-goal pros, stylish tailgating
''

Sun-Sentinel The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as surrounding Br ...

'', April 10, 2013 It is headquartered in

Wellington, Florida Wellington is a village just west of West Palm Beach in Palm Beach County and north of Miami. As of 2019, the city had a population of 65,398 according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, making it the most populous village in the state. It is the ...

. The league has been designated by the

United States Polo Association The United States Polo Association (USPA) is the national governing body for the sport of polo in the United States. Introduction Established in 1890, by David Grubbs the USPA provides resources to over 4,500 individual members and 250 polo club ...

(USPA) as a polo club. It has organized clinics and social events at Eldorado Polo Club,

Empire Polo Club The Empire Polo Club is a 78-acre (32 ha) polo club in Indio, California in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County, approximately 22 miles southeast of Palm Springs. Founded in 1987, it has hosted international polo tournaments. It leases ou ...

, Menlo Polo Club, San Diego Polo Club,

Santa Barbara Polo Club Founded in 1911, the Santa Barbara Polo Club in Santa Barbara, California is the premiere equestrian Polo club in the Western United States. The club, located between the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, consists of thre ...

, and Will Rogers Polo Club in Los Angeles. Recently, the Polo League has held events celebrating their pride as well as their love for the sport at the International Gay Polo Tournament hosted at the National Polo Center (formally International Polo Club Palm Beach.) The league has also produced GPL polo events in Argentina, England and France. Since 2010, the league has organized an annual International Gay Polo Tournament.Gay Polo League to make Wellington debut at tournament
''Sun-Sentinel'', March 31, 2010Gay Polo League ready to step up second annual tournament
''Sun-Sentinel'', March 30, 2011 The tournament took place at the

Grand Champions Polo Club The Grand Champions Polo Club is a polo club in Wellington, Florida. Location The club is located at 13444 Southfields Road in Wellington, Palm Beach County, Florida. History The club was established by Marc Ganzi and his wife, Melissa Ganzi. It ...

, owned by

Melissa Melissa is a female given name. The name comes from the Greek word μέλισσα (''mélissa''), "bee", which in turn comes from μέλι (''meli''), "honey". In Hittite, ''melit'' signifies "honey". ''Melissa'' also refers to the plant ''Me ...

and

Marc Ganzi Marc Ganzi is an American businessman. He is the President and CEO of DigitalBridge, and is the founder and former CEO of Digital Bridge Holdings and Global Tower Partners. He is also a polo player. Early life He received a Bachelor of Science in ...

, until 2014. In 2015, it moved to the

International Polo Club Palm Beach The International Polo Club Palm Beach, located in Wellington, Florida, is one of the largest polo clubs in the world. The club includes several natural grass polo fields, two of which are part of stadiums. History Once home to humble agricult ...

.Gay Polo League: The Event
/ref> During the tournament, each team is joined by a high-goaler.Alex Webbe
Gay Polo League Florida debut draws big crowd; Equestrian Life wins
''

Palm Beach Daily News The ''Palm Beach Daily News'' is a newspaper serving the town of Palm Beach in Palm Beach County in South Florida. It is also known as "The Shiny Sheet" because of its heavy, slick newsprint stock. It was founded in 1897 as the ''Lake Worth Dail ...

'', April 3, 2010 For example, in 2010, eight-goal Nic Roldan joined one of the teams. The GPL is a 501(c)(3) designated organization and has made charitable contributions to the Wellington Rotary Club, Compass, Palm Beach County chapter of the

Human Rights Council The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), CDH is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. ...

,SAGE and onePulse Foundation.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website
Polo in the United States LGBT sports organizations in the United States Wellington, Florida Sports organizations established in 2006